The Almost Biker (2020)

Wednesday, 3rd December 2025

To recap, here is my rapture list again:

1. Visit Villa Park (2007/2015)
2. Own a BMW (2008/2016)
3. Appear on TV (2008/2022)
4. Go Israel (2013/2018)
5. Drive a lorry/truck (since 2017)
6. Go on a Mission Trip (2018)
7. Attend a Hillsong Conference (2019)
8. CFO a listed company (2019)
9. Ride a motorbike (2020)
10. Interact with a corgi (2022)
11. Play bass guitar (since 2022)
12. Attend a Kim Wilde concert (2024)
13. Reduce golf handicap to single-digit
14. Travel across USA
15. Meet Pastor Joseph Prince in person

Items 9 and 10 will be titled "The Almost Biker" and "The Almost Corgi Owner" for reasons I will be explaining accordingly.

Besides the dream of driving of a lorry, I have also dreamt of riding a motorbike.  Before I was married, my mom would be the one to forbid me from taking lessons.  After I got married, my wife took over that role.  And of course, when the kids came along, that role was kind of handed over to my daughter too.

Upon turning 50, I encountered what some would term a "mid-life crisis" or "second childhood".  Things I never had a chance to do when I was a teenager started to strongly appeal to me.

At the top of that list was owning a bike.  And not just any ordinary bike, but this one: the BMW C650GT.  She's quite the beauty, ya?

my dream bike: the BMW C650GT

Anyway, after I left the Canadian MNC on 18 October 2019, I suddenly had a lot of time of my hands. So besides playing golf on a more regular basis, I also signed up for bike lessons.  I asked the counter lady whether it was too late for me to start, to which she replied that there were older people that have done so!

I had to fill-in my next-of-kin on my application form.  Knowing how the 2 women in my life would object to me taking lessons, I put down my son's name and contact number haha :p

So why did I change item 9 from "owning" a bike to "riding" one, you may ask?

Well, truth be told, the bulk of the other learners were in their late teens, way younger than even my own children.  They were more nimble when attempting twists and turns.

But my biggest challenge is actually brake-clutch coordination, which is fundamental for manual motorbikes.  Whether it be accelerating or decelerating through the gears, riding on planks, avoiding pylons, mounting ramps, etc, clutch-control is key.

During one such lesson, while attempting to ride on a plank, I rode off it and instinctively tried to mount it again.  Alas, I fell and injured my right elbow and knee. And that spelt the end of my clandestine bike adventures.

During a trip to JB, I shared the above story with Pastor Henry Yeo.  He asked me why I wanted to take lessons, to which I replied that it was so that I could one day own my dream bike, and have my wife ride pillion on it with me.  He then asked, "Do you think she will ever ride it with you?" to which the answer would be a definite no.  And so that was that. 

Subsequently, I came clean with my wife, and she said, "If you want to go to heaven earlier, sure go ahead and continue with your lessons."

And thus, dear readers, I had to change the item description on my rapture list so that it can be checked off this side of heaven.

I will probably have to wait till we return with Jesus in His Millennium Kingdom in order to ride the C650GT.  After all, we will have glorified and incorruptible bodies that are immortal, so no worries then about getting injured or dying haha.

P.S. I found photos I took of my injured elbow and knee and have reproduced them below.  God was giving me a warning of the dangers involved in riding a bike.